英语平行结构(parallelism)
一、平行结构的定义
平行结构指的是相同的语法结构,它要求有同等重要的思想、概念,并列的句子成分要用同类的语法形式来表达,要用并列连词连接。平行结构是一种修辞手法,它可以使句子前后保持平衡和协调,从而增加语言的连贯性。新牛津英语词典将平行结构定义为:“the u of successive verbal constructions in poetry or pro which correspond in grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc.”,(“在诗歌或者散文中,连续运用在语法结构、发音、韵律和意义等方面相似的语言结构。”) 它可以很简单,如单个的词和词组,也可以很复杂,如完整的句子;它要求词与词、短语与短语、句子与句子一一对应,例如:
The child was pretty and intelligent.
You can go there on foot, by bus or by train.七星瓢虫的画法
幻相
It is important to know how to study and to learn how to plan one’s time.
The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercis before the game.
二、使用平行结构的注意点
平行结构常常使用并列连词,如and, but, as well as, or, or el, , , but also, but等。
rather than等以及从属连词than可连接两个对等的词和对等的结构。
在使用这些并列连词时要注意它们所连接的应该是名词和名词,副词和副词,分词和分词,不定式和不定式,动词对动词,句子和句子等,而不能其中一个概念用分词结构表达,而另一个概念用不定式或从句来表达。比如下面两个句子就违反了平行结构的准则:
Do som e nice things for your parents that they don't expect-like cooking, doing the dishes, washing clothes, or clean the floors.
“做饭”、“刷碗”、“洗衣服”、“拖地”在本句中应为并列结构,故应用相同的语法形式,都用动名词,所以应将clean改为cleaning。
Mr. Johnson was young, energetic, and having interest in many activities.
这个句子中的三个表语具有相同的语法功能,都是说明主语的,应该放在相同的结构中,都用形容词。因此,应该把having interest in many activities改为interested in many activities。
三、平行结构的主要类型
Parallelism的构成可体现于各个语言层次,如单词、短语、从句、句子、段落等,平行结构按其语言组织形式可分为以下五种:
(一)单词平行
它由单个形容词、名词和动词等词排列而成。
This attitude results in a nation of people committed to rearch,experimenting and exploring. 这种态度造就了一个决心投身于研究、实验和探索的民族。
An Englishman thinks ated;a Frenchm an,standing;an American,pacing;an Irishm an,after-ward. 英国人坐着想,法国人站着想,美国人走着想,爱尔兰人事后想。
1. 名词平行结构
The patient's symptoms were fever, dizziness, and headache. 病人症状是发烧、头晕和头痛。
Tolerance,good temper,and sympathy are no longer enough in a world which is rent by religious a
nd racial percution,in a world where ignorance rules,and science,who ought to have ruled,plays the subrvient pimp.宗教和种族迫害把人们搞得四分五裂,而本该支配一切的科学却让位给愚昧无知,而充当了阿谀奉承的皮条客。在这样一个世界里,单凭容忍,温存和同情心已不再顶事了。Earlier in her life,Kate had been a waitress,a nur,and a teacher.凯特早先曾当过侍者,护士和教师。
2. 形容词、副词平行结构
Early to bed and early to ri makes a man healthy, wealthy and wi. 早睡早起使人健康、富有、聪明。
The work is handsomely and skillfully done.这项工作做得漂亮,有水平。
The hut was hot in summer and cold in winter.那茅棚夏天炎热,冬天寒冷。
The professor has no doubt that it is wrong to overtax the bright,efficient high salary-earner.那位教授确信无疑,对于那些聪明能干的高薪者赋以高税的做法是错误的。
Angel Pavement and its kind,too hot and airless in summer,too raw in winter,too wet in spring,and too smoky and foggy in autumn ...had blanched the whole man,...天使街以及类似的
地方,夏天闷热难受,冬天寒风刺骨,春天雨水太多,而秋天则烟雾弥漫……所有这一切把他的身体搞得虚弱无力,十分单薄…
Late for the dance,Ruth dresd hastily and carelessly.鲁思怕赶不上舞会,因此穿得匆忙而又随便地去了。
3. 分词平行结构
The boys were running, shouting and laughing.男孩子们一边跑,一边喊叫着、笑着。
握手是左手还是右手The old man returned home, disappointed and exhausted.
老人回到了家里精疲力竭,非常失望。
Fritz pass his time doing cross-word puzzles and building model airplanes.
费雷茨做填字游戏,做模型飞机来消磨时间。
4. 动名词平行结构
Henry's work is reading books and writing book reviews.亨利的工作是读读书,写写书评。
Alice said she'd prefer swimming to playing tennis in such hot weather.
工作面试
爱丽斯说在这样热的天她宁愿游泳而不去打网球。
Galileo studied,taught and experimented.伽利略研究,教学并搞试验。
5. 动词不定式平行结构
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.(Francis Bacon) 有些书是应当尝尝滋味的,有些书是应当吞食下去的,有少数书是应当咀嚼和消化的。
On the other hand, 40% think that fees should be charged becau you need money to pay gardeners and other workers, and to buy plants and young trees.另一方面,40%的同学认为应收门票,他们认为门票费可以作为支付园林工人及其他工作人员的工资和购买新花木的费用。
To support his family and to put himlf through college,he worked ven hours a day.
他为了养家糊口,并使自己读完大学,一天工作七小时。
(二)短语平行
短卷发图片它是由介词短语、动词短语、分词短语、不定式短语等词组并列而成
1. 介词短语平行结构
We went to the muum by bike instead of by bus.我们骑自行车而不是坐汽车去博物馆。
Studies rve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.读书使人愉悦,使人高雅,使人聪慧。
Studies rve for delight,for ornament,and for ability.读书足以怡情,足以博采,足以长才。
We can gain knowledge,by reading,by reflection,by obrvation or by practice.
求知门径很多,或阅读、或回忆、或观察、或实践。
The machine makes easy work of the construction of dams,the digging of water channels,and the pumping of water.该机器使筑坝、挖沟、抽水成为轻活。
2. 谓语动词短语平行结构
May you keep fit, study well and work hard. 祝你身体好,学习好,工作好。
3. 分词短语平行结构
They entered the classroom, talking excitedly and laughing heartily.
They worked every moment they could spare,weighing and boiling and measuring and
calculating and thinking.
他们分秒必争的干着,又是秤呀,又是煮呀,又是算呀,又是思考呀。
4. 动名词短语平行结构
The teacher’s smiling and the students’ laughing amud the visitors.
Knowing how to study and learning how to budget time are important for college students.懂得怎样学习,学会合理支配时间是大学生应予重视的问题。
Politicians today face the difficult tasks of solving the urban problems and finding the money without raising taxes.
当今政治家们面临着解决城市化问题和不依赖税收筹集资金的艰巨任务。
Dentists advi brushing your teeth after each meal and avoiding too much sugar in your
红花功效
diet.牙科医生建议饭后漱口,以及在饮食中不要用糖过量。
5. 动词不定式短语平行结构
I like to be up first in my own camp,to wake the cook mylf,to shave while he boils the kettle
and then to call the rest of the company with a warm cup of coffee.我喜欢在自己的营棚里第一个起身,亲自叫醒厨师,并在他烧开水时刮脸,然后叫其余人让他们喝上一杯热咖啡。
(三)句子结构平行
1. 从句平行
它是由相同的从句并列而成
If society were a train,the etiquette would be the rails along which only the train could rumble forth;if society were a state coach,the etiquette would be the wheels and axis on which only the coach could roll for-ward.
假定社会是一列火车,礼仪就好比轨道,火车只能沿着它徐徐前进;假定社会是一辆贵宾车,礼仪就好比轮子与轴,马车只有靠它们才能滚滚前进。
If happy when you come and sad when gone;would that you’d never come or never gone!
如果你来了就快乐,去了就悲伤,倒不如压根儿别来也别往。
A father who spends time with his son and who thoughtfully answers his son's questions will be respected and loved.
一位在儿子身上花精力并仔细周到地回答他问题的父亲会受到尊敬和爱戴。
If you write or if you telephone,wait for two weeks until I return from Singapore.
你如果写信或打电话,请等我两星期从新加坡回来后再说。
2. 整句平行
它是由几个句子并列而成
The world listens. The world watches. The world waits to e what we will do. 世界在倾听,世界在注视,世界在等待着我们做些什么。
We are caught in war,wanting peace. We are torn by division,wanting unity. 我们被卷入战争,渴
望着和平。我们被分隔搞得四分五裂,期望统一。
Should the wallet, found in the street, be put into a pocket or turned over to the policeman? Should the extra change received at the store be forgotten or returned? Nobody will know except you.在大街上捡到的钱包是装进自己的口袋里还是应该交给警察?商店多找给我们的零钱是被忘掉还是应该被归还?这些除了你自己之外谁也不会知道。
这些句子工整、对称。酷似汉语的对偶句。因此,parallelism又常译为排偶。因为这种英语修辞格相当于汉语的排比和对偶。
四、平行结构的用法
(一)连词连接两个对等的词和对等的结构
并列连词and, but, as well as, or, or el, both … and, neither … nor, either … or, not only … but (also), rather than等以及从属连词than可连接两个对等的词和对等的结构。
1.所连接的谓语形式必须一致
He went downtown, bought some books and visited his daughter.
Gunpowder was discovered in the twelfth century, but not ud in warfare until two hundred years later.
2.所连接的词或短语形式必须一致
Your mester grade is bad not only on how well you do on each test, but also on how you participate in class.
We often go to the countryside as well as to factories.
I would much rather go to the countryside than stay here.
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3.连接的非谓语动词的形式必须一致
Some find swimming more enjoyable than sitting at home reading.
He was engaged in writing a letter rather than reading the newspaper.
4.所连接的句子结构必须一致
She is plead with what you have given and all that you have told him.
The purpo of the rearch had a more different meaning for them than it did for us. (二)某些特定的固定结构
1. 有些词后要用平行结构
prefer A to B
prefer doing A to doing B
prefer to do A rather than do B
2. 有些结构中要用平行结构
would / had rather / sooner do A than do B
would / had as soon do A as do B (宁可……也不……)
五、平行结构使用的修辞效果
平行结构是英语里最常用的修辞格之一。它结构整齐、节奏鲜明,能清晰地表达思想,增强语势,抒发情感,因此广泛用于诗歌、散文、小说、戏剧、演讲中。通过把两个或两个以上结构相同或相似、
意义相关、语气一致的词、词组或句子排列成串,形成一个整体。平行结构不仅表现一组句子里字形的建筑美、形式美;表现语音的节奏美、和谐美、音乐美,而且还表现语义的同中有异、异中有同。它是使用部分重复的
办法将文字的音、形、义都调动起来以表现句型美的一种修辞格。平行结构不仅表达简练、语义突出,能使语言富有节奏感,产生和谐的音乐美,而且能有效增强语势,表达强烈感情,说明深刻的道理,使思想的表达更加清晰、准确和流畅。增强语言的表现力、感染力,使之易于朗诵、歌唱、记忆、流传,因而广泛地应用在多种英语写作中文体之中,具有美学效果。
(一)修辞中常用的几种平行结构
概括起来主要有以下几种:
1首语反复
首语反复指一个单词、短语或句子连续出现在数句的开头
“To rai a happy, healthy, and hopeful child, it takes a family; it takes teachers; it takes clergy; it takes
business people; it takes community leader. It takes tho who protect our health and safety. It takes all of us.”
— Hillary Clinton, 1996, National Democratic Convention Address
培养一个快乐,健康和充满希望的小孩,需要家庭,需要老师,需要牧师,需要商人,需要社区的领
导,需要保护我们健康和安全的人,需要我们大家。
What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we
need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one
another, and a feeling of justice toward tho who still suffer within our country whether they be white or whether
they be black.”
美国需要的不是分裂,美国需要的不是仇恨,美国需要的不是暴力和无法治,而是爱心、智慧、同情
心以及公正地对待那些在我们国家还在受苦的人,不论是白人还是黑人。
2尾语反复
尾语反复指一个单词、短语或句子连续出现在数个短语或句子的末尾
I said you are afraid to bleed. As long as the white man nt you to Korea, you bled. He nt you to Germany, you bled. He nt you to the South Pacific to fight the Japane, you bled. You bleed for white people…
我说你们害怕流血。一旦白人把你们派到朝鲜,你们就流血;把你们派到德国,你们就流血;把你们
图爱派到南太平洋和日本人打仗,你们就流血,你们是为白人流血。
3对偶句
平行结构以对句的形式出现,即几个在意义上相互对立的词或句子以平行结构的形式出现,这相当于
汉语里的对偶句。这种平行结构,通过对比,突出了两个事物或两个概念的特点
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
不是我对恺撒爱得不够深切,而是我更加热爱罗马。
4谐缀平行结构
这种平行结构的特点是相互平行的词其后缀相同,由此产生优美的韵律
All night long he can hear Nature breathing deeply and freely.
— R. L. Stevenson, Travels with a donkey
他彻夜都能听见大自然深沉而自由的呼吸。
(二)平行结构的艺术表现力
1 名句中的平行结构
由于英语平行结构涵盖了汉语中的排比、对偶、反复等修辞手段,因此极具艺术表现力。欣赏下列